You use the latest release version 0.9, while I'm up to date with his develop builds, it was the source of my confusion regarding missing variables in the thinker.ini, the new tech cost formula is not implemented in 0.9

Thank you for reminding me Thinker has this feature. I need to reread it. It was long ago. I should probably align my changes with this.

I think it's better kept disabled, you can achieve the same, or better just by editing weights in alphax.txt.The only advantage ( or not ) of the thinker bonus, is that it affects AIs, but not blind research for the player.

In the 0.9 version weights of selected techs are multiplied, in the latest develop build there is additive bonus probably, you can always check the code to be sure.

I agree with you that this is wrong use of exe patching to try to add some weight to certain techs when same can be done directly in alphax.txt. If this is such an incredible technology player blind research should benefit from this too. It would be only fair.

You are faced with the dilemma of all the "downstream" Open Source developers. What you decide, depends on you, and what is happening "upstream". For instance, if the upstream developer is not in the habit of making official stable releases, but rather is in a permanent state of development release for many years at a time, then you have no choice but to use their development release. Even in that case though, sometimes a developer will mark a particular version in their repository. If they don't... then pretty much it falls to you, to provide such structure in your own work. If it helps you.

For it to be "your" mod, you pretty much have to keep an eye on what changes are occurring upstream. Lest they derail something you personally are trying to accomplish. This is thankfully something I don't have to deal with, when using the official binary as my target platform. Whatever its deficiencies, it's stone cold stable!

Some people have asked about things that would be "downstream" of my mod, like making a chart of the techs, or adapting it to Yitzi's patch. They have been waiting for my own work to stabilize, so that they aren't just getting their own work ruined by my subsequent tech changes. My mod might actually be at that point of stability now. The caveat is I haven't heard back from enough playtesters to be sure. But, I myself don't have anything additional to do to it anymore. My current DAR is a pretty darned long game, and all the tech has gone the way I expect and want it to.